Noa Levy is an award-winning San Francisco-based jazz vocalist. While studying musical theatre on scholarship in London, she funded her living expenses by singing in tribute bands and doing backup vocals before deciding to pursue her passion for jazz and lead her own band. Always creative and untraditional, her first voice and bass album garnered attention in the Northern California jazz scene. “Devoting myself to studying the art of jazz singing is a lifelong journey” Noa tells us. “It’s incredibly challenging but the freedom and deep self-expression you experience on good days when you and the band click make all the struggles worth it.”
Her latest album, Portrait in Evans, created with award-winning pianist Paul Edis, reimagines the iconic music of jazz legend Bill Evans with newly written and selected lyrics. Noa together with the Paul Edis Trio will be performing these works for their show at Witney Jazz on 1 May, but in the meantime we wanted to know…
What Makes Noa
Happy?
A good cup of strong coffee, preferably with a chocolate chip scone on the side. Also, dancing. Especially with my daughter in the kitchen :)
Sad?
When people struggle with the harsh reality of being a human. I’m a super sensitive person known to cry easily in movies. Also, I have to say, lately I’ve been a bit sad about AI generated music and seeing young kids glued to their phones and fear they may not be able to tell the difference.
Angry?
People being inconsiderate of each other and jumping to conclusions and assumptions – a failure of curiosity and open-mindedness and at the very least, giving the benefit of doubt.
Confident?
I’m most confident on stage when I’m with musicians whom I trust and who trust me and we all arrive to serve the music and the people coming to listen. I'm also lucky to feel confident with my husband who is the smartest, kindest person I know, and having him by my side gives me even more courage to continue pursuing this crazy career.
Excited?
I’m always thinking about music and imagining ways to deliver a song. It’s nerdy but it gets me excited. I look forward to interesting projects that I get invited to take part in, performing in new venues and meeting fellow music lovers all over the world.
On 1 May Noa Levy joins UK Parliamentary Award-winning pianist Paul Edis and his Trio for a show at Witney Jazz Club to celebrate their new release, a beautiful exploration of the original music by the legendary Bill Evans.
Portrait In Evans was released on CD and digital on 20 March and the collection features Bill Evans’ timeless compositions with lyrics – some written by Paul and Noa, and some given new interpretations. The album reimagines Very Early, Waltz For Debby and Blue in Green as well as less-known compositions with beautiful arrangements and a unique sound. This tribute places the human voice at the centre and allows Evans’ harmonic language to carry stories of love, loss, parenthood, and emotional vulnerability.
For tickets a visit ticketsource.co.uk and search for Noa Levy and for more information on Noa visit noalevylive.com.
